Intermittent feed mechanism for sewing-machines.



A. MORLEY.

INTERMITTENT FEED MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 19.14.

Patented Jams, 1916.

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INTERMITTENT FEED MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.8,1914.

1,168,536. Patented Ja11.18,1916.

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Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Jan. 1% 1916.

Application filed January 8, 1914. Serial No. 810,925.,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that T, ALBERT MORLEY, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Three @aks, in the county ofBerrien and certain speed. For example in the case of a sewing machinethe cloth feeding member usually travels through an orbit during part ofwhich the cloth is engaged and advanced by the member. It has been foundthat such bodily traveling member will not operate properly when thespeed increases beyond a certain. limit, this being probably due toinertia effect and vibration. causedby the swiftly traveling body. Pawland ratch intermittent drive mechanism has also been used but the samedefects have been found.

The main object of my invention is therefore to provide intermittentdrive mechanism which is devoid of bodily traveling parts and which ismore perfectly balanced to thereby reduce vibration, and which willoperate with equal efficiency at'any speed.

Although my improved intermittent drive mechanism may be used.efiiciently and ad vantageously on other machines I have found it ofparticular advantage and utility for controlling the cloth feed in asewing machine and I shall therefore describe the invention inconnection with such machine.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a rear elevational view of asewing machine head, Fig. 2 is a plan View from plane 22, Fig. 1, Fig. 3is a sectional view on plane 3-3 Fig. 1, Fig. 4: is a side elevationalview of the sewing and feeding partsv with the guide table in section,and Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of a spiral drive member.

shaft 16 carrying at its end the drive pulley 17 from which extends acrank pin 18 con nected by connecting rod 19 with the crank end 20 ofthe rock shaft 21 whose other end is connected by suitable mechanismwith the needle bar- 14 to effect vertical reciprocation thereof in thewell known manner. The other end of the main shaft carries the rotarylooper 22 which coiiperates in the well known manner with a needle 23secured in the lower end of the needle bar, the needle reciprocatingthrough an opening 24 in the guide table or plate 25 secured to the base10. The lower end of the bar 15 carries a frame 26 from which extendsthepresser foot 27 suitably connected therewith, this presser foothaving the usual passageway 28 for the needle. To the rear of the needleline a feed mechanism is usually provided for advancing the cloth aftereach stitching operation.

For the purposes of my invention the feeding members comprise a rotarydrum 29 and a roller 30 held against the top thereof. The drum 29 hasthe points 29' and projects upwardly beyond the top of guide plate 25through opening 31 therein. The roller 30 is journaled in the bifurcatedextension-32 on frame 26 carried by the presser foot bar, a spring 33encircling this bar between the collar 34 thereon and the top lug 12 ofthe machine frame serving to yieldingly hold the roller against the drumto securely hold cloth or other fabric tothe drum in order that thecloth or fabric will be drawn along and properly fed. Such engagementmay be frictional or more positive by means of the points 29 on thedrum.

The mechanism for intermittently rotating the drum 29 to rotate the drumonly during the periods that the needle is out of the cloth, is clearlyillustrated. The drum is securedto the end of a shaft 35 journaled atits outer end in the base 10 and at its inner end in a frame or housing10 extending into the pocket or open space 36 in the base l0,throughwhich the main shaft 16 extends. The inner end of the shaft 35 carries askew gear 37 which meshes with a skew gear 38 mounted on the rear end ofthe transverse shaft 39 journaled in a bracket 40, the front end of thisshaft 39 carrying a plane gear 41. The frame 10 also journals the maindrive shaft 16 and within the frame this shaft carries a disk 42 fromwhose face extends a tated to turn the drum only cloth. The spiral ridgewould therefore ex- This ridge extends spirally in order that when thedisk is revolved the gear 41 and the feed drum are rotated. However, asthe drumshould be rotated to advance the cloth only during the time thatthe needle is out of the cloth, the extentof the spiral is designedaccordingly, the gear being then roy when the needle is raised above thecloth and remaining at rest while the needle is passing through the tendless than 360 degrees'but in order to lock the gear against rotation ordisplacement when it should remain at rest, the ridge at either of theends 43* or 13 is extended along the arc of a circle centered at theaxis of shaft 16 in order to fill out 360 degrees. Preferably, however,both these ends are extended along circular arcs to overlap with aradial pitch displacement corresponding to the pitch of the gear 41. Thegear then remains-atnrest and is rigidly locked against displacementwhen the circular sections of the ridge are in cooperation therewith andis rotated only when the spiral section of the ridge cooperatestherewith. One of the overlapping ends will also act to hold the gear inproper position to receive the oncoming other end. The gear wheel andgear ridge are therefore always in mesh and the spiral section of theridge causes the gear to be started without jar, the feed drum thereforegradually starting the cloth and preventing injury thereto. Inertiaeffect is entirely eliminated as none of the parts travel bodily, thefeed drum rotating on its axis and the gear ridge and gear wheellikewise rotating on their respective axes, and the balance is perfect.The machine can therefore be driven at any speed and the cloth feedmechanism will under all conditions operate smoothly, accurately andefliciently. Any peripheral travel of the feedv drum can be obtained byproper design of the spiral pitch, and the durationof such travel can bemade anvthing by properly designing the length of the spiral ridge, andsuch travel of the drum can betimed with reference to the movements ofthe needle by rotationally adjusting the disk 42 on the drive shaft 16.The mechanism also comprises a minimum number of. parts which can bereadily kept in order. I do not desire to be limited to the exactconstruction and arrangement shown and described as there may be changesand modifications which would still come within the scope .of theinvention.

I claim as follows:

In a sewing'machine, the combination with a knurled feed drum, of aroller, a presser foot carrying said roller and said roller cooperatingwith said feed drum to hold fabric therebetween, a shaft on which thefeed drum is secured, a skew gear on" said shaft, a transverse shaft anda skew gear thereon meshing with the skew. gear on the feed drum shaft,a plane gear on said transverse shaft, a main driving shaft and a diskthereon, said disk having a gear ridge extending from one of its facesand around its axis, said ridge being continuous with its endsoverlapping and pitch displaced in correspondence with'the pitch ofsaidgear, said overlapping ends extending in the arcs of circles and theremainder of said ridge continually varying in radius whereby said feeddrum will be rotated When said gear is in mesh with thevarying radiussection of said ridge and will be locked against rotation when said geafis in mesh with the circular sections of said disk.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this second day ofJanuary, 1914.

ALBERT MORLEY.

Witnesses:

MORRIS G. MCGAWN, FRED EDINGER.

